Hello Jabowscott and welcome to the forum. Please take a moment to complete your user profile including your location and vehicle model and year. I suspect that you are in England.
That sounds very expensive for a used part, but breakers often want half of the new cost. How many miles are on it?
Most of the time its the regulator..Have the shop test the alternator FIRST rather than selling you a complete alternator ..As the regulator goes wide open or off when it goes..Done LOTS of regulators!
Unless there is something VERY special about the alternator, 3 hours labor is excessive. I just replace the alternator on my 2000 E320. Total time including putting the tools away and washing up for dinner was less than an hour. This is a very DIY friendly procedure. No special tools needed.
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Unless there is something VERY special about the alternator, 3 hours labor is excessive. I just replace the alternator on my 2000 E320. Total time including putting the tools away and washing up for dinner was less than an hour. This is a very DIY friendly procedure. No special tools needed.
Well, I needed external torx bits, those are a fairly specialized tool, but necessary for meaningful DIY work on the MB lineup.
Scott, if this is your only car and you can't mess with it (you'll have to pull the alternator to have it tested properly, you can't drive like this or your battery will go dead and strand you) just buy a rebuilt unit and put it in yourself. It's not difficult at all. (I'm guessing in the UK "2nd hand" also includes rebuilt. This side of the pond 2nd hand means USED, and I wouldn't go that route, but rebuilt is fine.)
Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg
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A used alternator would be off a damaged or worst still a water-damaged car unless its really cheap its better to go for an MB exchange unit with some sort of guarantee.
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